Having owned a mk5 GTI, mk6 R, and mk5 R32.. my favourite all-rounder is the R32.
The engine just has so much torque available at pretty much any point on the rev scale. The mk6 R gave me a few frights when approaching roundabouts in the wrong gear, no such problem with the 3.2 lump.
Real world MPG isn't far off the mk6 R - I average 29mpg on the commute to work on mixed roads, compared to 30.5 in the mk6.
The R32 is nowhere as quick to
100 70 as the R, but it just does it with so much more character, silky smooth and sounding like something much more exotic. It really is one of the best N/A engines I've experienced.
My GTI was mapped to approx 240 bhp, but the R32 just feels much more grown up, and is no slouch when it comes to overtaking. To each their own